Big Picture Science - Sex Post Facto
Birds do it, bees do
it, but humans may not do it for much longer. At least not for having
children. Relying on sex to reproduce could be supplanted by making
babies in the lab, where parents-to-be can select genomes that will ensure ideal
physical and behavioral traits.
Men hoping to be
fathers should act sooner rather than later. These same advancements in
biotechnology could allow women to fertilize their own eggs, making the need
for male sperm obsolete.
Meanwhile, some
animals already reproduce asexually. Find out how female African bees can
opt to shut out male bees intent on expanding the hive.
Will engineering our
offspring have a down side? Sex creates vital genetic diversity, as
demonstrated by evolution of wild animals in urban areas. Find out how
birds, rodents and insects use sex in the city to adapt and thrive.
Guests:
- Menno
Schilthuizen – Biologist and ecologist, at the Naturalis Biodiversity
Center and Leiden University in The Netherlands. His New
York Times op-ed, “Evolution is Happening Faster Than We
Thought,” is here.
- Matthew Webster – Evolutionary
biologist, Uppsala University, Sweden
- Hank
Greely – Law professor and ethicist, Stanford University, who
specializes in the ethical, legal and social implications of biomedical
technologies. His book is “The
End of Sex and The Future of Reproduction.”
Download podcast at:
http://bigpicturescience.org/episodes/sex-post-facto
You
can listen to this and other episodes at
http://bigpicturescience.org/, and
be sure to check out
Blog Picture Science,
the companion blog to the radio show.
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